A Pleasant Reminder

Have you ever felt like a complete and utter failure? Does it ever feel like your life has been wasted? Do you ever wonder if God has washed his hands of you? Although it pains me to say it, I wrestle these feelings more often than I care to admit. Feelings are funny things. Although they are real in the sense that we genuinely feel them, they don't always express reality. For example, you could be sitting a crowded room surrounded by friends, and still feel lonely. You "feel" all alone, but that isn't actually the case.

We don't always perceive our value. God has demonstrated his love toward us; it is unquestionable (see Rom. 5:6-10). Yet we don't always feel loved. I was recently reminded of God's love again. A few days ago, I drove passed an apartment complex where I used to hangout before I came to know the Lord. In fact, it was a place where one of the darkest moments of my life occurred. I'm convinced that I came close to dying one night in the parking lot of that apartment complex. I don't remember what that complex used to be called, but as I past I noticed a sign that said, "Providence Place."

I have known for a long time that God brought me through that destructive phase of my life, but I could help but marvel at that sign. There was literally a sign marking the spot where providence had spared my life. I don't want to read to much into it, but I find it intriguing. The sign, although not made for me or with me in mind, was used by God to confirm, once more, his unquestionable love for me.

It felt like he was saying, "I wasn't through with you then and there, and I'm not through with you here and now." But the truth is I don't need a sign. I have the Scripture. Paul said, "For God's gifts and his call are irrevocable" (Rom. 11:29). If they are irrevocable for Israel, even in their rebellion, how can they be revoked from us whom the Spirit has made alive? Paul also said,

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we now received reconciliation (Rom. 5:9-11).

 That sign reminded me of the truth from a truer source. Seeing the "Providence Place" sign was like a catalyst. It caused me to retrace the steps of my journey, but this time I didn't focus on all of my missteps. This time I focused on the unseen hand of God that brought out of the darkness and into the light. Instead of feeling the shame of my past, I saw the love of God. The love that rescued me then hasn't lost any of its potency.

If you feeling down, I hope that you recognize the signs of God's love that are surrounding you at this moment. If you look closely enough, you will find God's fingerprints all over you life. He has loved and will continue to love you with an everlasting love. You may not feel it, but it doesn't mean his love is not real. Anchor yourself in the truth of his Word, and you'll weather your stormy feelings.

The Gift of God's Word

Have you ever wept because you're blessed to have God's Word in your own language? There are several languages that the Bible hasn't been translated into. I'm grateful that there are people laboring with translating the Bible into other languages. I saw this amazing video this afternoon, and it reminded me how blessed we are to have the Bible in our language. I hope this encourages you.

How Do You Respond to the Word of God?

"And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe" (1 Thes. 2:13, NIV).

Here Paul teaches us that there is two basic responses to the Word of God.  We can treat it like it is a word from men, merely a man's opinions.  Or we can treat it like it actually is the Word of God.  Now specifically, Paul is addressing the gospel proclamation, but his statement can be taken in a more general sense to refer to the whole of God's Word.  Paul makes it clear in his other writings that his message wasn't something he dreamed up, but it was a direct revelation from Jesus Christ.  Peter says,

We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. . . . Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation.  For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God, as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:16-21, NIV).

Not everyone recognizes God's Word.  Some hear it, but fail to grasp its meaning.  Jesus teaches this in the parable of the sower in Mark 4.  He relates three ways people treat the Word as if it were merely the word of men.  He tells us:

• They ignore it, often with the devil's help (the seed on the hard path)
• They rejoice over it without commitment (the seed on the rocky soil)
• They all other things to drive out the word (the seed in the weeds)

When we respond to the Word of God in these ways, we are treating it as a word from man.  James warns, "Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you" (Jas. 1:21, NIV).

Other, like the Thessalonians, receive the word as it actually is-as the Word of God.  These individuals are like the good soil which receives the seed and bears fruit.  Only when we receive the Word with obedience that comes from faith, can we really say we are receiving it as the Word of God.

In fact, Paul's gratitude for and confidence in the believers in Thessalonica rests in the fact that he is witnessing fruit in their lives.  Paul saw how the Thessalonians responded with faithful perseverance in the face of opposition, and he commended them.  What is more, Paul found in their endurance the evidence of their faith, and he praised God for it.  He went on to explain that those who did not receive God's Word, like the Thessalonians, were under God's wrath.  Their enemies were God's enemies first, but God would take care of them.

The passage, 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16, can teach us many things.  I want point out four implications of this passage.

1. How we respond to the Word of God reveals the true nature of our heart.  We are called to trust and obey the Word of God, because the God, who spoke it, is trustworthy and true.
2. We are to accept the Word of God with both deep conviction and deep affection.  Some people want to over-intellectualize faith, and other want to over-emotionalize it.  True faith combines the best efforts of our (sanctified) hearts and minds.
3. When one tries to take a "middle of the road" approach to Scripture, he usually ends up rejecting it as the Word of God.  When some suggests that the Bible is spiritual book, but not a work of the Spirit; or suggests that it contains the Word of God, but also has the erroneous thoughts of man, they are on a slippery slope towards rejecting most of the truths of the Bible.  The right response to the Word of God is whole-heart trust.
4. Confidence in the Word usually generates faith.  Even when we don't fully understand something, our default position should be to trust the Scriptures because they are not the words of men, but the Word of God.